The magical Hotel of Hoo
is a mysterious place with some very unusual occupants. As our guests
explore the strange hotel, they are invited to experience everything it
has to offer with just one warning… don’t ever look behind door 32.

This
imaginative picture book aims to take children beyond the first ten
cardinal numbers, and introduces them to the patterns of counting in a
fun and accessible way. With rooms to explore and unique objects to
count, children will enjoy lingering on each page as they make their way
closer to the forbidden door.

My thoughts:

A counting
book with a difference, Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 extends the counting
experience beyond 20 to 32. The illustrations are delightful and a little bit
spooky as a young boy and his little sister arrive to stay at the Magical Hotel
of Hoo, a sprawling old castle dimly lit by moonlight.

Nicholas Noo
the amiable hotelier shows them around each room. Being the first guests at the
hotel their room will be room1 and the reader learns that most of the other
rooms are permanently occupied by an ever increasing number of ghouls and
creatures. Dragons, elves, monsters, ghosts, goblins and giants all have a room
and a purpose.

The cadence
is spot on with this rhyming story which makes for an easy read as the words
flow effortlessly. The suspense builds as the pages turn and the children are reminded
throughout, never to look behind door 32.

My almost 4
Granddaughter loves everything spooky and even after reading the book over and
over she still became excited as the tension mounts to that last door. She
charmingly calls it the Transylvanian door story. She’s not quite up to counting
to 32 which gives the advantage of extending the book as the child grows.

Not all
items to count are in as plain sight as say the 3 Knights, behind door 3, or
the 5 dancing zombies, behind door 5. I was eager to have the book to myself to
peruse each page and find the items that matched the corresponding door number.

Don’t Ever
Look Behind Door 32 is not only a delightful rhyming story but also a counting
book that stretches the child’s ability whilst stimulating their imagination.

The
illustrations by the talented Lenny Wen are colourful and descriptive, filled
with mischief and magic, they hold stories of their own.

BCR Fegan is an award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.

Raised
on a small hobby farm only minutes from some of Australia’s greatest
beaches, Fegan grew up inspired by the power of natures ambience. From
the intensity of the frequent summer storms, to the overwhelming
serenity of a lonely beach in the early hours of the morning. His
ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on
the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short
stories, poems and picture books.

As time wore on, Fegan also
found inspiration in the magic and depth of authors and compositors like
Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. He
was mesmerised by the potency of small but beautiful phrases that were
carefully carved from the minds of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Lord
Tennyson and Robert Frost. He grew to appreciate the worlds meticulously
created by David Eddings, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

Eventually,
he began to forge his own complete works. Weaving his own magic, piecing
together his own phrases and crafting his own worlds. Agonising over
plots that would inspire, characters that would be loved and
circumstances that would delight. In time, his efforts saw a number of
children’s books and young adult fiction produced. Through the efforts
of TaleBlade Press, these works are now being published with that same
careful dedication

Adrielle Pyper knows how
to plan a wedding, and she's especially good at pleasing bridezillas.
But when her biggest client and best friend is murdered just three days
before the wedding, Adri's world falls apart. She moves to the resort
town of Sun Valley, Idaho, and starts from scratch. Thanks to Adri's
impeccable taste and unique style, she lands two celebrity clients, and
her business seems headed for success—until someone vandalizes the
specialty wedding dresses she imported from overseas. Adri must race to
uncover the secret hidden within the yards of satin and lace before she
becomes the next victim. With a delightful blend of mystery,
toe-curling kisses, humor, and spine-tingling thrills, Diamond Rings are
Deadly Things will keep you turning pages long into the night.
Diamond Rings are Deadly Things is the first in the Wedding Planner Mysteries series by Rachelle J Christensen.

My thoughts:

Adrielle Pyper has moved to Sun Valley Idaho to pursue her lifelong dream of running her own business as a wedding planner. She had worked for a large and successful wedding planning company in San Francisco but after a life-altering incident she decides to start afresh closer to home.

The story is narrated by Adrielle and we get a close up look at her thoughts and life. Adrielle is feisty and self confident and doesn’t mind saying exactly what she thinks. She is a perfectionist and puts her heart and soul into the weddings she plans; there is no time for boyfriends or romance. Her business partner, Lorea, is a dressmaker. She sells the wedding dresses whilst Adrielle plans the weddings. Lorea is fun, chirpy and a romantic at heart. She is always trying to get Adrielle to loosen up, have some fun and maybe give love a chance.

Between planning the weddings of soap star Sylvia and Lorea’s good friend Natalie who is marrying the rich and famous Brock Grafton, who just so happens to be Sylvia’s ex, Arielle also gets herself mixed up in a diamond smuggling operation.
Everyone is a suspect, from the old, friendly jeweller Walter Mayfield to Colton, the delivery guy, and the hot new lawyer in town, Luke.

As we follow Adrielle on her hectic wedding planning schedule, trying to squeeze a few dates in with Dallas, the local real estate agent, and solve a stalker problem. The story makes for quite a few laughs, a little bit of romance and edge of your seat suspense. I loved the insight into just how much work a wedding planner does.

I absolutely loved the craft and wedding decoration descriptions at the start of each chapter. Adrielle and her Mum have their own crafty blog which features in the story and which I’m happy to say is a real blog (Yes, I googled it!). www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

Diamond Rings are Deadly Things is a real page turner, a clean cozy crime/ mystery. Adrielle is a fun protagonist and the ending will have you holding your breath!!!
The perfect start to a new ‘must read’ series for me.

Rachelle J. Christensen is a
mother of five who writes mystery/suspense and solves the mystery of the
missing shoe on a daily basis. She graduated cum laude from Utah State
University with a degree in psychology and a music minor. She enjoys
singing and songwriting, playing the piano, running, motivational
speaking, and of course reading.

Eva
Delacourt has been in hiding for three years after her fiancée was
assassinated in cold blood outside the British embassy in Prague.

She thought she was safe.

But
someone in the mysterious Section has betrayed her, and now she’s on
the run for her life, sworn to protect the six-year-old boy she adores.

Her enemies are closing in, and the odds are not in Eva’s favour. For Eva, the nightmare is just beginning…

Assassins
Hunted is the first part in an ongoing story involving Eva Delacourt.
The story will be continued in book 2 of the English Spy Mysteries,
Assassins Vengeance.

The English Spy Mysteries is a new concept
by acclaimed crime fiction author, Rachel Amphlett. Combining fast-paced
thrilling reads with episodic delivery in the vein of TV shows 24,
Alias, and Spooks, series one is a must-read for fans of Robert Ludlum,
Vince Flynn, and James Patterson.

My thoughts:

Assassins Hunted is the first in a new series by Australian Crime writer Rachel Amphlett.

Eva Delacourt has been in hiding since her fiancé was killed three years ago. However someone has found out where she is and they want her dead. Thinking the leak may be from the inside and not knowing who she can trust she turns to new CIA operative Nathan Crowe to help her escape.

All Amphlett’s books are a must read for me. I know straight away they will be enjoyable, suspenseful and well written. Amphlett has the reader on the edge of their seat never quite knowing what will happen next. The story has plenty of action and some great twists.

The first instalment in the English Spy Mysteries Series doesn’t disappoint. Told in an episodic style and ending on a cliff hanger it will have readers eager for book 2, Assassins Vengeance.

I write crime fiction and spy
novels, most notably the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective
Kay Hunter series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers.

Originally
from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, my writing
influences include Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. I'm
also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Angela Marsons, Robert
Bryndza, Ken Follett, and Stuart MacBride.

I'm a member of
International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with
the Italian foreign rights for my debut novel, White Gold, being sold to
Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint in 2014, and the first four books
in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer
Verlag in 2017.